The Global Soils Partnership, a new group under the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, has set Nov. 18-22 as the first "Global Soils Week." The goal is to highlight that land is the pillar of sustainability. Yet soils are increasingly facing threats from a broad array of sources.

Chuck Rice, a professor of soil microbiology at Kansas State University, is heading to Berlin, Germany, specifically to participate in the events of that week, which are part of the Global Soils Forum. The partnership, forum and promotional week ...